Blood Meal 101

Despite its less than palatable name, blood meal is a common product that can be used as a nutritious and environmentally friendly fertilizer. As the name implies, blood meal is a product that’s derived directly from blood. Usually, this blood is a by-product of livestock production, coming from what would be waste material. This blood is dried and made into a powder that’s rich in organic nitrogen, and can be processed and made into a high quality fertilizer product.

Blood Meal is a versatile source of nitrogen, and can be used for a variety of plants, flowers, vegetables, and even trees. Below are several advantages of using Blood Meal, illustrating reasons why gardeners and farmers can use it as an alternative fertilizer:

1. It cuts down on waste.

Blood Meal is a natural by-product of the meat processing industry, and would normally be discarded as a waste material. Using blood from meat processing plants to create Blood Meal takes a waste product and turns it into something that is usable and can be sold in the agricultural or personal gardening industry.

2. It’s a hearty source of nutrients for soil.

Plants need a number of nutrients for optimal health, and one of the main nutrients they need is nitrogen. Plants use nitrogen in order to grow, reproduce, and produce enzymes and nucleic acids. They also use it to make chlorophyll molecules, which are molecules that capture sunlight and help to convert it into food. Because nitrogen is used in all of these functions, plants need it in fairly large quantities in order to survive. Blood meal is one of the best sources of organic nitrogen, and allows plants to use nitrogen when they need it most.

3. It may repel unwanted animals.

Some studies have shown that Blood Meal keeps certain undesirable animals out of gardens. Most notably, Blood Meal is known to keep away deer and rabbits, both of which can cause major destruction to gardens.

4. It can help activate compost.

In order for compost to work properly, it needs a balanced makeup. Usually, this means that the materials in the compost need to have enough carbon and nitrogen, which will help the compost start working to fertilize a garden. If the carbon and nitrogen balance isn’t right, then you’ll need to correct it. Blood Meal can do this by adding a source of organic nitrogen to the material, which will help fix low nitrogen issues, and spur the compost to start working. Gardeners just need to make sure they don’t add too much or too little Blood Meal, and get the balance right.

Blood Meal, when used correctly, offers several advantages, depending on the types of plants and the area gardeners live in. It’s one of the best sources of organic nitrogen for plants, and is particularly effective when used on leafy vegetables such as lettuce. If your plants are hungry for nitrogen, Blood Meal is a versatile supplement for annuals and perennials alike. For more information on Blood Meal, contact us today!

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